Style At first, fitness trackers were designed more for function than fashion, as they were geared towards fitness buffs to wear when exercising, so style wasn’t really a concern. Since then, fitness tracke ... Show more

Syncs Data Automatically The way that your tracker stores and syncs data is hugely important to the experience you have with your device. The most convenient trackers will sync data automatically and wirelessly to your smartp ... Show more

Yes

Compatibility
What software platforms are compatible with it?

iOS 8.0 or later

Android 4.3 or later

Third Party App Integration Getting the full picture of your health requires input from other sources other than the app associated with your tracker - tracking fitness is only part of living a healthy lifestyle. This might incl ... Show more

Yes

Polar Flow mobile app

Activity Detection The most basic fitness trackers measure steps, distance and calories... your general fitness needs. Beyond that, some will also detect when you are exercising, based on your heart rate and movements. ... Show more

Walking

Running

Sleep Tracking

Sleep Tracking Like activity tracking, sleep tracking is a common feature for most fitness trackers with much variation. The main difference between trackers is whether or not sleep is tracked automatically or manua ... Show more

Automatic

Advanced Sleep Metrics For devices that do track sleep, the quality of the metrics recorded varies. Some devices simply record the number of hours that you were asleep. Others go farther and tell you when you were in light, ... Show more

Yes

Sleep duration, stages (deep or light sleep) and pattern

Alarms & Reminders A small, but still significant, feature of fitness trackers is the ability set alarms or reminders. First, there are alarms to wake you up in the morning. Usually, these are silent, vibrating alarms o ... Show more

Yes

Premium Features

Water Resistant Fitness trackers are available at varying levels of water resistance. Some can’t get wet at all; some can be worn while you swim or shower. Trackers that are listed as “splash proof” can’t really get ... Show more

Heart-Rate Tracking Because you’re supposed to wear a fitness tracker all day, tracking your heart rate provides you with extremely valuable metrics. First, your resting heart rate is an indicator of how healthy you are. ... Show more

Automatic - Optical

GPS For the more advanced athlete, a GPS-enabled fitness tracker is a must. Regular devices cannot track pace, intervals, elevation, or even distance accurately—stats that are hugely important to avid run ... Show more

Yes

Music Player A much less common feature, but still notable, is the potential to upload and store music on your fitness tracker. This can only be found on the most advanced trackers (and thus will come with a large ... Show more

No

Display

The type of display or screen on fitness trackers varies widely by brand and price point—from a few LED lights to full color touchscreens. The main benefit of a screen is being able to read the time and your fitness stats any time of the day without needing to open an app on your phone or plug the tracker into your computer. This could be a positive or negative—some people prefer not to see progress and feel rewarded when they finally look at results and meet their goal. Others need a constant reminder of their status to push them to reach their goals. It’s totally up to you.

Oftentimes, you can also read smartphone notifications on a screen, depending on how advanced the tracker is. Every tracker will differ on what information is shown on the display, whether it’s the time, steps, heart rate, or other goals. Some will be a touchscreen, some will not. These aspects mainly affect ease of use, and will vary in importance by person. Finally, a display will also drain your battery more quickly, and come with a higher price tag.

Display
Does the tracker have a screen?

Black & White Display

Touchscreen
Is the display a touchscreen?

No

Smartphone Notifications As fitness trackers become more advanced, and as smart watches become more popular, the lines between the two are blurring, especially when it comes to linked capabilities between the device and your ... Show more

Yes

Battery

For fitness trackers, batteries vary widely. Some trackers have rechargeable batteries that last anywhere from hours to days. Others take coin cell batteries like you would find a regular watch, which last a few months to a year. Needing to purchase and replace batteries can be a hassle… but so can plugging in your device every five or so days via USB cable to recharge it. Remembering to take the device off, charge it, and then remembering to put it back on, can seriously interrupt your fitness routine, especially if you’re worried you’ll forget it. Plys, if you want consistent sleep tracking, you don’t want to be charging it overnight. Both options have advantages and disadvantages to keep in mind while you compare options.

Battery Life
How long does the battery last?

30 days

30 days for daily activity monitoring; 8 days for GPS recording and heart rate tracking

Polar M400 is a very popular option at the top of the price range. It's in the top 3 bestselling fitness trackers and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Garmin Swim Watch or Samsung SM-R350 .

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